


Stomach Bug

by scrapsandbolts



Series: Marvel Oneshots [7]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Bruce banner (mentioned) - Freeform, Gen, Sharon Carter (mentioned) - Freeform, Thor (mentioned) - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-14
Updated: 2019-02-14
Packaged: 2019-10-28 12:18:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17787272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scrapsandbolts/pseuds/scrapsandbolts
Summary: Tony was... well Tony was sick. But Tony would rather die than tell anyone, obviously. Enter one concerned ex-assassin.





	Stomach Bug

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Valentine's Day. Enjoy this early fic!

Tony was… well, Tony was sick. But Tony would rather die than tell anyone, so how did Bucky find out?

Well, Bucky noticed that Tony had a nasty habit of putting other people’s needs over his own, so he began to take care of Tony, helping Tony put his needs higher up on the list. You could get Tony to eat if you asked him to taste test, get him to drink water if you set a glass on his desk, and to sleep if you asked to watch a movie with him on the couch. Half an hour in, and he was dozing peacefully. 

So when Tony began to keep a trash can nearby and stopped eating whatever Bucky tried to get him to eat, Bucky took notice. It could be nothing, but Bucky wanted to be sure, so he stayed alert. None of the others thought anything of it, because if it got bad, Tony would tell them, right?

Wrong. Tony began hoarding blankets, trash bags, and a water bottle in hopes of rehydrating and flushing the illness out of his system. And the Avengers- barring Thor and Bruce, as they were on Asgard- did nothing, just asked if Tony had been sleeping or eating. 

“I’m all good, I promise, Steve,” Tony lied, one of the many blankets Bucky and Bruce had bought him wrapped around his frame. “Just tired.”

“Okay, you should get some rest, we can handle this mission by ourselves.” Steve left, leaving Tony alone. The billionaire groaned and curled into a ball on the couch, a sudden coughing fit making him more miserable. Bucky saw this, frowned, and headed to the kitchen. 

“JARVIS?” Bucky asked, searching through the cabinets and drawers. “Does Tony have a favorite soup?”

“No, Sergeant Barnes. But Lt. Colonel Rhodes makes a soup that Tony always eats. I’ll ask him for the recipe, if you’d like.”

“JARVIS, you’re the best. Please do.” Bucky moved away from the kitchen and to the bathroom, where they stored the medicine. Considering the fact that Tony had been throwing up whatever he ate, Bucky grabbed an anti-nausea medicine and a glass for ice chips. 

“Hey, Tin-Can,” Bucky spoke, tapping the blanket lightly. When Tony peeked out from the blanket, Bucky handed him the medicine and the ice chips. “You’re sick, don’t even try to lie to me. Take this, and do your best to swallow the ice chips regularly.” Tony just nodded and took the medicine and a few chips before retreating to his blanket fort. 

Oh, boy, he must be really sick if he didn’t protest at all. Bucky headed to the kitchen again, grabbing some ginger and a few packets of peppermint tea, stashing then away for when Tony was feeling a little better, and could keep more fluids down. 

Bucky had a cloth ready in case Tony’s fever did not include chills, and he read some articles JARVIS chose for him on how to help Tony out. 

“Sir has Lt Colonel Rhodes and Ms. Potts that care for him, but they can’t always be there for him, so another person who cares enough to research how to help has my approval.” He explained later. Bucky nodded, and soon he was making the soup Rhodey had sent the recipe for. 

“Hey, Patient Zero, do you have chills or are you hot?” Bucky asked, pulling the mountain of blankets away from Tony’s face. 

“Go ‘way,” Tony mumbled. He shuddered, closing his eyes. “I’m cold, give me blankets.” So, chills. Bucky put the blankets back where they were, leaving Tony to rest up. He refilled the ice chips, glad Tony had at least been doing that, saving the soup in the freezer, with a warning to Clint not to eat anything. 

Tony passed out for most of the day, and Bucky stayed awake well into the night, keeping Tony as comfortable as possible. 

“Hey, Soldier,” Rhodey whispered, having flown in to help Bucky out. “How’s he doing?” 

“Been asleep for thirteen hours now. His fever broke half an hour ago, so I took away a few blankets so he didn’t overheat.” Rhodey sat next to Bucky, letting him rest his head. 

“Smart. Has he been able to hold anything down?”

“Just ice chips. We tried some Gatorade, but he threw that up. I can’t look at a power drink the same way ever again.”

“You’ll get used to it. He always gets sick this time of year. I’m surprised he didn’t get sick earlier.”

“He was probably hiding it,” Bucky replied, yawning. “No one else gets sick like he does.”

“True. You get some rest, Sergeant. I’ve got him for now.” Bucky nodded, heading to his room to get some sleep. Rhodey would handle Tony easily on his own. 

Bucky woke up surprisingly warm. His sheets were never this warm or- Tony was in his bed. Tony was in his bed, with a to-scale replica of Mt. Everest made from blankets, curled into a ball beside him. 

Honestly, it was kinda cute. Bucky said nothing as he scooped Tony up, blankets and all, and placed him in his own bedroom. He’d be more comfortable there, and JARVIS could keep a better eye on him. 

Rhodey woke up, stretched out on the couch, blinking as Bucky handed him a glass of water. “You must’ve been exhausted from flying your way here and caring for a sleeping Tony. Rest up, Lt. Colonel.” Rhodey nodded, drinking the water. 

“I’m gonna guess Tony found his way to your bed in the middle of the night, half-delirious, and curled into a ball next to you.”

“How’d you know?” Bucky asked, filling a glass with ice chips. 

“He’s done that to me and Sharon before, many times. That means he likes and trusts you enough to keep him safe while he sleeps.” Bucky nearly dropped the glass, completely shocked. 

Tony trusted him to keep him safe? When had that happened? Why did it happen? Bucky was literally the last person who should be protecting Tony. Why?

“Oh,” Bucky squeaked. “Good to know. I’m gonna… go… give this to Tony.”

When Bucky opened the door, Tony was just barely waking up, moaning and searching for the trash can placed where he could lean over and throw up. 

“Hey, Golden Boy, you want some more of that anti-nausea medicine?” Tony nodded weakly, so Bucky grabbed some from the nightstand to give to Tony. “Here’s some ice chips, too.” Tony took some of the chips in his mouth, visibly relaxing. The poor guy must’ve gotten dehydrated during the night. 

“You rest in here, okay? There’s a TV, computer, phone, basically any piece of tech. And JARVIS will make sure you get ice chips regularly,” Bucky whispered. “I’ll be back soon.”

~~~  
It took a whole week for Tony to be able to keep some of Rhodey’s soup down, and he tried to get back to work. Bucky refused to let him. 

“No, you are going to rest at least another day, we don’t want you to get sick again.” Tony groaned, but headed back to the couch, sipping water with electrolytes. “Come on, let’s watch a movie to make you feel better.”

“Fine, but I get to pick,” Tony grumbled. Bucky nodded, sitting next to his patient. They watched a movie about different characters like Santa, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy working together. It was nice. 

Tony had fallen asleep, still exhausted from being sick. When he woke up, Bucky had a fresh cup of peppermint tea with a hint of ginger in there. They were supposed to help with getting better, so why not?

“Thanks, Bucky Bear.” Tony took a sip, relaxing against the couch. “I don’t know the last time I had a lazy day.”

“Too long,” Bucky added. “That’s probably why you got sick, you don’t rest.”

“Probably. Thanks for taking care of me. I don’t think any of the others would go to the extreme you did, except maybe Bruce. Definitely Sharon, if she wasn’t busy with SHIELD.”

“Yeah, probably. Steve believed your bullshit story about you being tired, Clint doesn’t notice anything besides coffee, and Natasha doesn’t know how to care for a sick person properly, though she’s working on it.”

“Thank you for caring for me, Nurse Barnes.”

“It’s not a problem, Tony. Now, finish your tea, and get some sleep. You have work to do tomorrow.”

“Okay.” Tony leaned over to Bucky, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek before heading to his bed.

“You’re a strange man, Tony Stark,” Bucky mumbled, smiling. “But I like strange.”


End file.
